PhotoTherapy, Therapeutic Photography, &
Related Techniques

PhotoTherapy techniques are therapy practices that use people’s personal snapshots, family albums, and pictures taken by others (and the feelings, thoughts, memories, and beliefs these photos evoke) as catalysts to deepen insight and enhance communication during their therapy or counselling sessions (conducted by trained mental health professionals), in ways not possible using words alone. Learn more about PhotoTherapy techniques.

Therapeutic Photography techniques are photographic* practicesdone by people themselves (or their helpers) in situations where the skills of a trained therapist or counselor are not needed — for example, where photo-interactive activities are used to increase people’s own self-knowledge, awareness, and well-being, improve their relationships with family and others, activate positive social change, reduce social exclusion, assist rehabilitation, strengthen communities, deepen intercultural relations, lessen conflict, bring attention to issues of social injustice, sharpen visual literacy skills, enhance education, expand qualitative research and prevention methodologies, and produce other kinds of photo-based personal/emotional healing and learning. Learn more about Therapeutic Photography techniques.

*Therapeutic Photography does not mean just only photo-taking.It also includes other photo-interactive activities, such as photo-viewing, -posing, -planning, -discussing, or even just only remembering or imagining photographs.

Not limited to printed photographs, both PhotoTherapy and Therapeutic Photography techniques can be used with any kind of photographic imagery — both film and digital, both still and moving — therefore also in applications such as VideoTherapy, Therapeutic Videography (Therapeutic Film-making) and other related techniques.

Since these techniques are about photography as emotional communication, rather than photography as art, no prior experience with cameras or the photographic arts is needed.

And finally, since all these techniques involve people interacting with their own unique visual constructions of reality, they can be particularly successful with people for whom verbal communication is difficult for physical, mental, or emotional reasons, as well as those in situations of social exclusion.

Please explore this site further to learn how these photo-based techniques can help people get a better picture of their life — one that is worth far more than the proverbial thousand words!

Judy Weiser, Psychologist, Art Therapist, consultant, trainer, University Adjunct Faculty, international lecturer, and author, is considered the world authority on the techniques of PhotoTherapy, Therapeutic Photography, Photo-Art-Therapy, VideoTherapy and other related techniques. Founder and Director of the PhotoTherapy Centre in Vancouver, Canada — and author of dozens of professional articles as well as the classic book in the field — she now lectures and gives Introductory Educational Workshops and Advanced Training Intensives about these techniques internationally. Learn more about Judy Weiser.

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Find out how these techniques are being used all over the world — this growing list of over 100 people can help you find others with similar interests, related organizations and projects, or let you submit your own information to be included! Click here to find out Who is Doing What, Where.